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SMITH'S
1846 CANADIAN GAZETTEER :
DALHOUSIE DISTRICT |
Consists of
the County of Carleton, which returns a member to the House
of Assembly; and comprises the townships of Fitzroy, Goulbourn, North
Gower, Gloucester, Huntley, March, Marlborough, Nepean, Osgoode, and
Torbolton. This district, which is bounded on the north by the Ottawa
River, is also watered by the Mississippi, the Rideau, and the Petite
Nation Rivers. The Dalhousie District, being more dependant upon the
lumber trade, than upon agricultural pursuits, advances but slowly.
Much of the land in this district is of rather poor quality, being
stoney and rocky. There is, however, a sufficient quantity that is
fit for agricultural purposes. The larger portion of the inhabitants
being engaged in preparing timber for the Quebec market, agriculture
is neglected, and the consequence is, that provisions are dearer in
Bytown than in any other town in Canada West. The Rideau Canal
passes through the district.
60,684
acres of Crown lands are open for sale in the Dalhousie District;
to purchase any of which, application must be made to the Crown Lands'
Agent at New Edinburgh, near Bytown.
Population
of the district in 1842 : 19,612; since when it has probably increased
one-fifth. The following abstract from the Assessment Rolls will
show the rate of increase, and improvement in the district : |
| Date. |
No of
Acres
Cultivated. |
|
Milk
Cows. |
Oxen,
4 years
old, and
upwards. |
Horned
Cattle
from 2 to 4
years old. |
Amount of
Ratable
Property. |
| 1842 |
42,357 |
8 |
14 |
4718 |
1268 |
1821 |
£167,816 |
| 1843 |
47,567 |
4 |
14 |
5208 |
1317 |
1694 |
£189,892 |
| 1844 |
44,146 |
5 |
16 |
|
|
|
£166,210 |
Government and District Officers in the Dalhousie District:
| OFFICE |
NAMES |
RESIDENCE |
| Judge of District
Court |
Christ'r Armstrong |
Bytown. |
| Judge of Surrogate
Court |
Do. |
| Sherrif |
Edward Malloch |
Do. |
| Clerk of Peace |
F.C. Powell
(since
resigned) |
Do. |
| Treasurer |
D. O'Connor |
Do. |
| Inspector
of Licenses |
Arch. McDonell |
Osgoode |
| Clerk of District
Court |
B. Billings |
Bytown |
| Registrar
of Surrogate Court |
Do. |
| District Clerk |
G.P. Baker |
Do. |
| Crown Lands'
Agent |
John Durie |
New Edinburgh |
| Warden |
Hon. T. McKay |
Bytown |
| Coroners |
J. Stewart
John Ritchey
W. Smyth
Thomas Sproule |
Bytown
Do.
Gloucester
Goulborn |
|
In consequence of the absence of the Superintendent, I was unable
to obtain any account of the schools in this district. |
BRITANNIA. |
| A Settlement
in the north of the township of Nepean, situated on the Ottawa River.
It has only lately been laid out, and contains very few houses. |
BYTOWN. |
The District
Town of the Dalhousie District : situated in the north-east
corner of the township of Nepean, on the Ottawa River. It is divided
into two portions, called Upper and Lower Bytown; the former is
the most aristocratic, the latter the most business portion of the
town. The lower town has been long settled : the upper town has
been more recently erected, and is situated about half a mile higher
up the river, and on considerably higher ground. The land on which
the upper town is erected, together with a portion of that comprising
the lower town, was purchased some years since for the sum of £80,
and is now computed to be worth some £50,000 or £60,000.
The Rideau Canal enters the Ottawa River just above the lower town,
where eight handsome locks have been constructed to overcome the
fall in the river.
The
scenery about Bytown is, next to that at the Falls of Niagara, the
most picturesque of the inhabited portion of Canada. The Chaudiere
Falls, a short distance above the upper town, are very beautiful.
Just below the falls, a handsome Suspension Bridge has been constructed
over the Ottawa, which connects Upper with Lower Canada.
Bytown
is principally supported by the lumber trade. On the Lower Canadian
side of the river, slides have been constructed to facilitate the
passage of the rafts. Here all timber brought down to the river,
which has been cut on Crown lands, is measured, and the owner enters
into a bond for the payment of the duties at Quebec. The town is
fast improving in appearance, and several handsome stone buildings
are already erected. The Barracks are in a commanding situation,
on the highest part of the bank of the river, between the upper
and lower town, and are garrisoned by a company of Rifles.
The
inhabitants of the lower town are about one-third French Canadians,
the remainder are principally Irish.
Churches
and chapels in the lower town, five; viz., Catholic, Free Church,
two Methodist, and Baptist : in Upper Bytown, three; viz., Episcopal,
Presbyterian, and Methodist. The Jail and Court House are of stone.
Two Fire Engines are kept; one in the upper and one in the lower
town. There is a "Commercial Reading-room," supported by subscription;
and a "Mercantile Library Association."
A Fair
is held at Bytown on the second Tuesday in April, and the third
Wednesday in September. Three newspapers are published here weekly
: the "Ottawa Advocate," "Bytown Gazette,"
and "Packet."
During
the season, a steamboat plies daily between Bytown and Grenville,
in Lower Canada, leaving Bytown in the morning, and returning from
Grenville in the evening. And comfortable boats of a good size,
ply on the Rideau Canal, between Bytown and Kingston; but, as they
are generally engaged in towing barges, there is little dependance
to be placed on their regularity.
Population
of Bytown : about 7,000. Post Office : post daily. The mail is conveyed
to Kingston on horseback. The following Government and District
Offices are kept in Bytown : Judge of District Court, Sheriff, Clerk
of Peace, Judge of Surrogate Court, Treasurer, Registrar of Surrogate
Court, District Clerk, Clerk of District Court, Coroner, Collector
of Timber Duties.
Professions
and Trades : In Upper Bytown : three lawyers, two grist mills,
two saw mills, three foundries, 14 general stores, two lumber merchants'
stores, two druggists, one printer, five blacksmiths, two saddlers,
seven shoemakers, four tailors, three cabinet makers, one tinsmith,
one butcher, one baker, one barber, one waggon maker, four taverns,
one ladies' school. Three Bank agencies : "Montreal,"
"Upper Canada," and "Bank of British North America."
In Lower Bytown : one physician and surgeon, four lawyers, 32 stores,
six tanneries, two breweries, two druggists, one soap and candle
factory, two printers, 35 taverns, 50 groceries, 20 beer shops,
six saddlers, 14 shoemakers, six tinsmiths, six tailors, three watchmakers,
seven butchers, eight bakers, four cabinet makers, one coach maker,
one turner, four waggon makers, two hatters, seven schools. Two
Bank agencies: : "Commercial," and "City Bank
of Montreal."
Principal
Taverns : Upper Town : "Dalhousie Hotel," and
"Exchange." Lower Town : "British Hotel,"
and "Ottawa House."
Forwarders
: Hooker, Henderson & Co., Sanderson & Murray,
Macpherson, Crane & Co., H.& S. Jones,
Quebec Forwarding Company, John Egan & Co.,
all with storehouses at Canal Wharf.
Land
Agent : Christopher Armstrong.
|
| Tables
of steamboat fares, quantities and value of timber, etc., omitted. |
CARLETON, COUNTY
OF. : See DALHOUSIE
DISTRICT. |
FITZROY. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north-east by the
township of Torbolton; on the north-west by McNab; on the south-west
by Pakenham; and on the south-east by Huntly. In Fitzroy 29,392
acres are taken up, 5,304 of which are under cultivation. The Mississippi
River runs through the west of the township, from south to north;
on the banks of which there is considerable pine. 2,751 acres of
Crown lands are open for sale in Fitzroy, at 8s. c'y per acre. The
village of Fitzroy Harbour is situated in the north corner
of the township, on the Ottawa River; and there are two grist and
four saw-mills in the township. Population in 1842 : 1,746.
Ratable property in the township : £18,268. |
FITZROY HARBOUR. |
| A Village
in the township of Fitzroy : situated on a bay of the Ottawa River.
There are some very beautiful falls a short distance above the village.
During the season, a steamboat runs from Aylmer, a village
on the Lower Canadian side of the Ottawa, six miles above Bytown,
to Fitzroy Harbour, three times a week, (fare 7s. 6d. c'y). Another
steamboat starts from Mississippi Island (an island in the Ottawa,
containing about 1,000 acres, two miles and a half above Fitzroy
Harbour), and runs to the Snows, a lumbering establishment
on the Ottawa, 28 miles above the harbour; the space between Fitzroy
Harbour and Mississippi Island being unnavigable, on account of
the falls and rapids in the river. Fitzroy Harbour contains about
500 inhabitants; and a Catholic church. Post Office : post three
times a-week. Professions and Trades : One Physician
and Surgeon, one grist and three saw-mills, one brewery, one
ashery, four stores, two taverns, two blacksmiths, one waggon maker,
one fanning mill maker, one cabinet maker, four shoemakers, two
tailors. |
GOULBOURN. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north-east by the
township of Nepean; on the north-west by Huntley and March;
on the south-west by Beckwith; and on the south-east by
Marlborough. In Goulbourn 44,714 acres are taken up, 9,319 of which
are under cultivation. This is the best settled township in the
Dalhousie District, and contains some good farms. The village of
Richmond is situated in the east corner of the township,
and there is one grist-mill in the township. 10,540 acres of
Crown land are open for sale in Goulbourn, at 8s. c'y per acre.
Population in 1842 : 2,606. Ratable property in the township : £26,755. |
GOWER, NORTH. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the east and south-east
by the Rideau Canal; on the north-west by Nepean; and on the
south-west by Marlborough. In North Gower 17,474 acres are
taken up, 3,400 of which are under cultivation. Much of the land
in this township, bordering on the Rideau Canal, is poor and stony.
430 acres of Crown lands are open for sale in North Gower, at 8s.
c'y per acre. Population in 1842 : 855. Ratable property in the
township : £9,549. |
HUNTLEY. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the east and north-east
by the township of March; on the north-west by Fitzroy; on
the south-west by Ramsay; and on the south-east by Beckwith.
In Huntley 30,626 acres are taken up, 5,727 of which are under cultivation.
This township is getting well settled: there is some good land in
it, but a considerable portion of the timber is pine. A branch of
the Mississippi River and Carp River run through the township. 14,079
acres of Crown lands are open for sale in Huntley, at 8s. currency
per acre. There is one saw mill in the township. Population in 1842
: 1,771. Ratable property in the township : £16,686. |
MARCH. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north-east by the
Ottawa River; on the north-west by the township of Torbolton;
on the south-west by Huntley; and on the south-east by
Goulbourn. In March 19,323 acres are taken up, 3,092 of which are
under cultivation. A lake, called "Constance Lake," containing about
500 acres, is situated in the centre of the north of the township.
The land in the south of the township is of excellent quality; that
in the north is not so good. The timber in the south is principally
hardwood; that in the north is mostly pine. 1,372 acres of Crown
lands are open for sale in March, at 8s. currency per acre. There
are one grist and two saw mills in the township. Population in 1842
: 831. Ratable property in the township : £9,772. |
MARLBOROUGH. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north-east by the
township of North Gower; on the north-west by Goulbourn; on
the south-west by Montague; and on the south-east by Oxford.
In Marlborough 18,114 acres are taken up, 2,993 of which are under
cultivation. The Rideau River and Canal borders the township on
the south-east. There is a considerable portion of good land
in the township; but some of that on the Rideau Canal is poor and
stoney, and much of the timber is pine. In Marlborough 8,254 acres
of Crown lands are open for sale, at 8s. currency per acre. There
are two saw mills in the township. Population in 1842 : 893. Ratable
property in the township : £10,157. |
NEPEAN. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the east by the township
of Gloucester; on the north by the Ottawa River; on the west by
March and Goulborne; and on the south-east by North Gower.
In Nepean 37,481 acres are taken up, 7,454 of which are under cultivation.
The Rideau river and canal form the eastern border of the township.
The town of Bytown is situated in the north-east corner,
on the Ottawa River, and a small settlement called Britannia,
in the north of the township. Nepean is well settled, and contains
some good farms; the great demand for provisions at Bytown,
occasioned by the extensive business carried on in lumber in the
District, always ensuring the farmer a good price for his produce.
786 acres of crown lands are open for sale in Nepean, at 8s. currency
per acre. There are two saw mills in the township, exclusive of
three in Bytown. Population in 1842 : 7,294, which included
the town of Bytown. Ratable property in the township, (not including
Bytown), £21,275. |
NEW EDINBURGH. |
| A Village
in the north-west corner of the township of Gloucester : situated
on the Ottawa, at the mouth of the river Rideau, about one mile
east from Bytown. The river, a short distance above the village,
divides into two branches, which fall into the Ottawa, forming two
perpendicular falls of about 34 feet in height. The scenery about
the village is very picturesque. New Edinburgh contains about 150
inhabitants, one grist mill, one saw mill, brewery, carding machine
and cloth factory, two stores, one shoemaker. |
OSGOODE. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north-east by the
township of Russell, on the north-west by Gloucester; on the
west by North Gower; and on the south-east by Mountain and
Winchester. In Osgoode 46,035 acres are taken up, 5,486 of which
are under cultivation. The Rideau Canal and River border the township
on the west for the greater portion of its depth. At the north-west
corner of the township is an island containing about 1,000 acres,
formed by two branches of the Rideau River. There is some good,
but a large portion of poor land in the township; particularly that
bordering on the Rideau Canal. In Osgoode 7,459 acres of Crown lands
are open for sale at 8s. c'y per acre. There is one saw-mill
in the township. Population in 1842 : 1,440. Ratable propery in
the township : £16,748. |
OTTAWA RIVER.
See OTTAWA DISTRICT. |
PETITE NATION
RIVER. |
| Takes its
rise in the township of Osgoode : flows south to near the south
border of Mountain, where it makes a bend to the north-east,
and passes through the south of that township, the south-east
of Winchester, and the west of Finch; in the south of Cambridge
it receives a branch which takes its rise in the north of Osgoode,
and flows through the centre of Russell. After receiving this branch,
the Petite Nation River passes through the centre of Cambridge,
running nearly north; at the north corner of the township it receives
a branch from Gloucester, Cumberland, and Clarence, and flows north-east
to near the south-east corner of Plantagenet, where it makes
a bend, and runs north-west to the Ottawa River, which it enters
near the north-west corner of Plantagenet. Large quantities
of lumber are cut on its banks, which is mostly carried down the
Ottawa. |
RICHMOND. |
| A Village
in the south-east corner of the township of Goulbourn, 20 miles
from Bytown, situated on the Goodwood River, which flows
through the village. The houses are much scattered -- the village
extending over 200 acres of land, each lot containing one acre.
The place was laid out, in 1818, by the Duke of Richmond, (who died
shortly afterwards in the neighbourhood, of hydrophobia), and was
originally settled by Highland Scotch. It contains about 1,200 inhabitants.
There are three churches in the village, viz., Episcopal, Presbyterian,
and Catholic. Post Office : post three times a-week. Professions
and Trades : Ten stores, four taverns, two waggon makers, one
cabinet maker, two blacksmiths, three tailors, four shoemakers. |
RIDEAU CANAL.
See listing in
Bathurst District |
TORBOLTON. |
| A Township
in the Dalhousie District : is bounded on the north and north-east
by the Ottawa River; on the south-east by the township of March;
and on the south-west by Fitzroy. In Torbolton 7,920 acres
are taken up, 1,097 of which are under cultivation. But little is
done in this township in the way of agricultural operations, the
inhabitants being principally engaged in lumbering. 4,633 acres
of Crown lands are open for sale in Torbolton, at 8s. c'y per acre.
Population in 1842 : 389. Ratable property in the township : £3,716.
|
| Post
Offices in the Dalhousie District |
| List
of Post Offices |
Distances
in Miles from: |
Name of
Office |
Name of Town,
Village or
Township |
Name of
Postmaster |
Toronto |
Kingston |
London |
Cobourg |
Chatham |
Goderich |
Barrie |
| Bytown |
Bytown, t |
B.W. Baker |
328 |
142 |
466 |
256 |
532 |
483 |
388 |
| Huntley |
Huntley, t'p |
John Graham |
321 |
144 |
459 |
249 |
525 |
446 |
381 |
| March |
March, t'p |
Thos. Read |
340 |
163 |
478 |
266 |
544 |
495 |
400 |
| Richmond |
Richmond,
v |
Geo. Lyon |
307 |
130 |
445 |
235 |
511 |
460 |
367 |
Magistrates
who have qualified
in the Dalhousie District |
| W. Thompson |
Nepean |
| John Richey |
Fitzroy |
| W. Campbell |
Marlborough |
| John McNab |
Osgoode |
| W.B. Bradley |
Huntley |
| W. Stewart |
Bytown |
| Ed. M.
Barrie |
Smith's Falls |
| Alex. McDonell |
Osgoode |
| Daniel
Burrit |
Marlborough |
| James Stevenson |
Bytown |
| Henry Harmer |
Osgoode |
| G.W. Baker |
Nepean |
| Hamnet
Pinhey |
March |
| David McLaren |
Torbolton |
| John B.
Lewis |
Richmond |
| Stephen
Collins |
Nepean |
| Arch. McDonell |
Osgoode |
| G. Lyon |
Richmond |
| W.H. Thompson |
Bytown |
| John Buckham |
Torbolton |
| Daniel
O'Connor |
Bytown |
| John Chitty |
Bytown |
| Donald
McArthur |
Bytown |
| Simon Fraser |
Bytown |
| Robert
Sherriff |
Fitzroy |
| Fred. Bearman |
Nepean |
| John McNaughton |
Bytown |
| John Eastman |
Marlborough |
| W.B. Bradley,
jun. |
Huntley |
|